An Orlando rapper and alleged gang leader at the center of a deadly feud that shocked Central Florida walked out of jail last Wednesday after racketeering charges against him were dropped.
Javarri “Hotboii” Walker was taken into custody in July 2021 as one of over two dozen arrested in Operation X-Force, a months-long multi-agency investigation into gang violence in Central Florida. Walker faced a RICO accusation, but recently agreed to plead guilty to a single count of conspiracy as part of a deal with prosecutors after over two years in jail.
Walker, a rapper signed with Interscope Records, the label for prominent musical artists like Snoop Dogg and Billie Eilish, was alleged to have been leader of the 438 gang, based in the Silver Star Road area of Orlando. Law enforcement officials say 438 was caught up in a feud with the Mercy Drive-based Army gang, allegedly led by fellow rapper Jacquavius “9lokkNine” Smith, whose stage name is pronounced “Glock Nine,” for the firearm brand.
At the time of the operation, law enforcement blamed the feud for the deaths of several innocent bystanders, including Ocoee High School football star Dexter Rentz Jr., who had a football scholarship to the University of Louisville, and 16-year-old Tavyiah King, niece of suspended Orlando City Commissioner Regina Hill.